I can't remember you and I wonder why
by rustyliver
Summary: Helena gets a visit from a Warehouse agent from the future. It's a little unusual even for her.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is a continuation of 'Do you remember the first time we met?'  
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The second time Helena met Myka Bering was when Christina was six.

She was in the body of a woman who had an inability to smile. So Helena immediately suspected something odd was happening when Myka smiled at her.

It threw her off how beautiful she looked and as an honest woman (which on occasion can be untrue), she felt obligated to tell Myka, "Your bright smile rivals the sun. You should do it more often."

"What sun?" Myka squinted at the window.

Helena chuckled. "Well, I suppose during winter the sun isn't much of a competition. Smile again when summer comes. I will compliment you again and it will matter."

"Come on, H.G.," another oddity she noticed. "You're a wordsmith. I'm sure you can think of a better compliment," Myka said, inching her face closer towards Helena's. No one knew that she wrote except Charles. The warnings signs were written in big bold letters all over the place. She should have realised it sooner.

"I'm going to tell you something very interesting about myself," Myka whispered to her ear. Then she kissed a certain spot on Helena's neck that made her knees become weak.

"Enlighten me," Helena sighed.

"I'm from the future," Myka said, trailing her kisses closer and closer to Helena's lips.

"You're right. That is very interesting."

"Do you believe me?" Myka asked.

"I'll believe in anything you say, darling."

"Oh, we've arrived at our destination," Myka said after kissing the corner of Helena's lips. Her lips were soft as she expected of a woman.

She always wondered how it would feel like to kiss a woman. And she had tried countless times to feed her curiosity. Women, it seemed, were harder to chase than men. And being a woman herself, her intentions were always misconstrued as being friendly.

"So," Myka added, her breath felt warm on Helena's lips and Helena knew that her thirst for this little bit of knowledge was about to be quenched a little more. "Would you believe me if I said I'm an agent of Warehouse 13?"

But apparently not today. Helena immediately backed away and reached for her Tesla, except it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" Myka said, holding up her Tesla. "So do you believe me?"

She didn't but she listened to Myka's explanation. She had to. That was when she learned her name. Myka Bering. A peculiar name but she was a peculiar woman so the name fitted her. She was from the year 2013. And she had worked in the Warehouse for four years. Longer than Helena.

She came from the future to find the Cassegrain Telescope. Helena had heard of it. It rivalled Sir Isaac Newton's design of a reflecting telescope. So naturally, it was so heavily criticised that no one thought it was useful. And the poor Frenchman who came up with it didn't even come forward to defend his design.

But that was it, it was a design. No one had succeeded in building a working model. She believed that someday, a reflecting telescope would be favoured more than a refracting telescope but for now, there were still kinks that made a refractor more useful than a reflector.

And so she concluded that Myka Bering was a liar.

"There is a whole section in the Warehouse just for your inventions," Myka told her.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't flattered by it but she wasn't flattered enough to start trusting Myka. She eyed the Tesla on the counter which separated them. It sat less than inch from Myka's hand.

It didn't go unnoticed by Myka. "Obviously, you don't trust me. So what I'm going to do," Myka picked up the Tesla and aimed it at the most expensive longcase clock in the shop. Then, she blasted the thing into pieces. "There, now we both can't use it."

She collected Elizabeth's jacket and proceeded to the door. "Oh, and by the way," she continued. "I used your time machine to get here. Or as you call it the Temporal Consciousness Transfer Engine. It does sound like something you would invent, doesn't it?"

The doorbell chimed as Myka exited the shop. Helena was still startled by the exploding clock to really process what Myka just said. It took her some time to realise that Myka just told her that she successfully built or will build a time machine.

And of course it was as absurd as all the other things that Myka told her. But she built or will build a time machine! Maybe Myka was lying. But it was worth the risk as it was an opportunity to learn the mechanics of time travel. And if Myka was lying, she'll just cross that bridge when she comes to it.

She took her Tesla from the counter and followed Myka out the door. But Myka was nowhere in sight. Helena sighed. She was too late.

"Looking for someone?" said a voice behind her.

She turned around and to her relief, it was Myka. "I've decided to help you find the telescope," she said to Myka.

"And is there a particular reason why you suddenly trust me?" Myka asked with a knowing smile.

"No," Helena said. "Just feeling helpful is all."

"I see," Myka nodded. "It has nothing to do with the fact that I just told you that you invented a time machine and now, you're little curious."

"Just a tiny bit," Helena admitted.

Myka appeared to contemplate her decision for a moment. "Fine," she said. "You can help. But I'm not promising you anything."

"Of course," Helena smiled.

Myka smiled back. It was that smile again. The one she saw as she entered the shop in the hopes of getting her watch fixed. Her intention was forgotten as soon as she saw that smile. She knew that smile. It's the one men give her when she enters a room. They forget what they were talking about and the person they were talking to and focus their attention on her.

The difference was she was as hypnotised with Myka as Myka was with her.

...

They spent the entire morning knocking on doors all over London in their search for the telescope.

"Are you sure it's in London?" Helena asked after they had knocked on twenty six doors, or was it twenty two? She had lost count.

Myka hadn't said anything about her time machine and Helena was beginning to suspect she was never going to. She even tried subtly bringing up the subject after a round of flirting to distract Myka. But Myka just went back to the topic they were talking about.

Her childhood. Myka seemed very interested in getting to know her. She asked about Charles and Christina. Her mentor, Caturanga. Did she enjoy working at the Warehouse? What would she choose? The Warehouse or writing?

She told Myka that writing was her first love. No, it was books. Then she wanted to try her hand on creating worlds of her own to see if she could incite that love in others. But when she joined the Warehouse, it was like entering a whole new world beyond her imagination. Without the Warehouse, there would be no writing. Or her writings would forever be dull because now, it wasn't just about thinking of a world where miracles happen. She was living it. Not many people could appreciate it but the truth is always a much interesting story than a made up one.

Myka asked a lot of personal questions, she realised but somehow she felt at ease with her like no one else.

"It's in London," Myka said. "I'm sure. I have a list. It's a big list."

"How do you remember all these names and addresses?" Helena asked.

The only thing she knew about how Myka travelled to this time was that it was only her consciousness that was transferred not her body. So it was impossible for her to bring a piece of paper with all the names and addresses of the people they were bothering.

"I remember things easily," Myka said. "They call it eidetic memory."

"That's a handy skill," Helena said, impressed.

"Sometimes," Myka said, looking at a faraway object Helena couldn't see. "But sometimes there are things I want to forget."

"I find the remedy to that is a bottle of scotch," Helena said, tilting her head, trying to find Myka's gaze again.

Myka laughed. Oh, that laugh. Why was it making her heart thump so wildly?

"It's not so much the inebriation," Helena continued. "It's the headache the morning after. It's so painful that you can't think of nothing else except the pain."

"You're a bit of a masochist, aren't you?" Myka's eyes returned to her.

Helena tried to smile seductively but she suspected she only succeeded in making it goofy. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Whatever it was, its charm seemed to work because Myka was smiling adoringly at her. "Alright, Casanova. We have another ten doors to knock on."

"Another ten?" Helena grimaced. "I have an idea. How about we ask for help from the Warehouse?"

Myka shook her head. "What do I tell them? Hello, I'm Myka Bering and I'm a Warehouse agent from the future. Please help me find this artifact," she said. "They won't let me leave the Warehouse until they've figured out who I am and I won't have enough time with," she immediately stopped herself. "With finding the artifact."

"And yet, you trust me?" Helena asked. "I could stun you with my Tesla at any moment and bring you to the Warehouse myself."

Myka said calmly, "In these three hours we've spent together, do I seem untrustworthy to you?"

Helena didn't answer. She had met a lot of people who seemed decent and honest but turned out to be manipulative and corrupt. What she learned was these people always want something. But so far, Myka had only expressed interest in her and the Cassegrain Telescope. The former was not unusual for her and the latter didn't necessarily require her presence. The only other thing she could think of was her access to the Warehouse and clearly, Myka didn't want anything to do with it.

"I know enough about you," Myka continued, "that you wouldn't harm anyone unless you know that they would bring harm to you. Besides, I don't trust you completely. Check your Tesla."

Helena took out her Tesla. It wasn't charging. It should be fully charged by now.

"A little trick I learned from Claudia," Myka said, already walking towards the next address in her list.

Helena was still examining her Tesla when Myka glanced back and called out to her, "Are you coming Wells?"

She thought for a moment if it was a wise decision to go with Myka. The woman knew things that she didn't. She could be a danger to Helena and it was obvious that she would never willingly tell Helena about the time machine.

But Helena was a curious person. And Myka was a mystery. At the moment, they were a good match.

She felt her legs moving towards Myka. It seemed her body had already decided for her.

...

They finally located the whereabouts of the Cassegrain telescope. It was currently in the possession of a man named Daniel Cooper. He was a wealthy man and according to his brother, Mr. James Cooper, he had a room specifically built for the telescope and the room was guarded day and night. So he didn't see Daniel letting them or as they called themselves, the London Space Institute to borrow it for their archive.

"We'll need the Warehouse for this," she said to Myka. "They're the only ones with the resources to obtain this telescope."

Myka stubbornly refused.

"Unless you have a blueprint of Daniel Cooper's mansion in your head, we're not going to get the telescope," Helena tried to reason. "You don't, do you?"

"No," Myka said. She appeared to be in thought for a moment. "We can't convince him to give it to us but we can ask nicely to have a look at it," she looked at Helena, a wicked smile on her lips. "A little convincing from a beautiful woman like you, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Helena gasped. "That is entirely inappropriate," she said. "But also true."

Myka laughed. "Good. Because I'm sure I can figure out what kind of security measures they've set up in the room."

She felt quite like a puppy. Too ready to follow Myka around. It was disconcerting.

As they expected, Daniel Cooper showed them the telescope. It didn't take much convincing to Helena's relief. She felt reluctant to flirt with another person in the presence of Myka. Apparently, Mr Cooper had tried convincing the astronomy community for many years of its existence. No one believed it. He claimed it was because no one with enough prestige had been successful in incorporating the Cassegrain design into a working telescope.

Myka's eyes flitted around as soon as they entered the mansion. Once in a while, she would compliment on some random feature of the mansion so Mr Cooper wouldn't be suspicious of her wandering eyes.

After unlocking the door to the special telescope room, Mr Cooper did a little dance before letting them enter the room. Myka concentrated on his feet, following each step he took. The room was empty except for the telescope. It was placed on a stand under a glass casing right at the centre of the room. Myka inspected the glass casing without touching it.

"Usually people couldn't wait to get their paws on the glass," Mr. Cooper remarked. "Have you had police training, Miss Bering?"

"Oh, no," Myka said. "Just being polite."

"Your politeness just saved your live," said Mr Cooper. "If you had touched the glass, thousands of volts of electricity would be coursing through your body right now causing your death."

"That's something to think about regarding our manners," Helena quipped. "Do you have any other sensitive spots in this room we shouldn't touch? You know for the sake of our lives."

"There are," Mr Cooper. "But I've disarmed them so you don't have to worry about it."

"Just the glass then?"

"Yes, just the glass."

Mr Cooper was about to disarm the glass when suddenly Helena cursed.

Helena quickly apologised and asked, "May I ask what time is it? I'm afraid my watch isn't working."

"It's a quarter past two."

"I'm late," she looked at Myka. "I'm really sorry but I have to get my daughter from school." She turned to Mr Cooper, "It was a pleasure meeting you. I hate to be rude and run off like this but I suppose I have to."

"I'll meet you back at the shop," she yelled as she rushed out of the room.

She was late again. She promised the last time that it was the last time. Mrs Brown always warned her that someday Christina will grow up to be someone who can't keep promises because her mum did the same thing to her. Obviously, she was concerned about that.

But she was more worried with the fact that Christina will someday resent her when she realises that when people say the word 'promise', it means they're going to do it. The sweet girl. Every time Helena was late, she wouldn't cry or throw a tantrum. She would just wait for her patiently and then smile when she finally turned up.

And there she was. Except she wasn't waiting this time. She was playing with some other children. Well, at least she knew she wasn't the worst parent of the day.

"Miss Wells!" it was Mrs Douglas, the headmistress, right on time to give her a lecture on tardiness.

"I know," said Helena. "I'm late. It won't happen again."

"I'm afraid it's not about that," Mrs Douglas said. "Although I would appreciate it if you pick Christina up earlier. I don't have all day to wait for you." She looked at children, "Do you know Miss Scott?"

"You mean Elizabeth Scott?" Helena asked. She was the woman Myka was currently possessing. Helena panicked. Had they been found out? "I'm familiar with her," Helena said as calmly as she possibly can.

"Those are her children," Mrs Douglas pointed at them. Well, this was worse.

"All five of them?" Helena asked.

The headmistress nodded. "Unlike you, she is usually at the gate by the time school ends but as you can see, she's not here," Mrs Douglas said, frowning. "I have sent someone to the shop she works at and they said it was empty. I'm worried. Her husband works with the East India Company in South East Asia so they're basically orphans if something bad had happened to Miss Scott."

Helena knew for a fact that Elizabeth was fine. She was just unavailable until tomorrow. She had to think fast before Mrs Douglas could alert the police about Elizabeth's disappearance. The artifact was within their reach. The last thing they needed was for the police to be chasing Myka.

She slapped her forehead dramatically. "I completely forgot. Elizabeth asked me to take her children home because she had a very important appointment she couldn't reschedule. You see, I'm a regular customer at her shop because my watch keeps malfunctioning," she patted the pocket where her watch was. "She knew that I had a daughter who goes to the same school as her children so now I'm here to bring them all home."

"For goodness sake, Miss Wells," Mrs Douglas sighed. "I was worried for nothing. It was highly irresponsible for you to do this. Doesn't your word mean anything?"

Helena waved at Christina when she saw her daughter waving at her excitedly.

"I have a family you know," Mrs Douglas continued to babble on. "And I don't have a housekeeper to do everything for me. I need to fold today's laundry, cook dinner, not to mention—"

As Helena pretended to listen to Mrs Douglas, she watched the children play. Christina seemed to like them. It was certainly something since her daughter was a very shy girl. It's not every day that she gets to see Christina enjoying herself like that. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

She gathered all six children and said goodbye to Mrs Douglas.

"Buy a new watch, Miss Wells," the headmistress told her. Helena wondered if she still thought of her as a little girl. It could be the reason why every time she asked Helena to do something, it sounded more like an order than a request.

The only thing to do now was to tell Myka about the children. That should be fun.


	2. Chapter 2

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who was born a prince. He lived in a huge castle—"

"How many rooms are there in the castle?" Patrick asked. "Hundreds?"

"No, thousands!" Beatrice said before Helena could answer. "Thousand is bigger than hundred!"

"That's right," Helena said. "Someone learned their numbers well."

Beatrice beamed at the compliment.

"Is it bigger than the Buckingham Palace?" it was Patrick again.

"Possibly."

Patrick was about to ask another question but Christina shushed him.

"Patrick, let Helena tell the story," Myka said.

"No more questions?" Helena asked, just to be sure that there won't be any more interruptions.

Beatrice was about to open her mouth but Myka gave her a warning look.

"May I continue the story?"

Everyone nodded except Mary.

"So this boy, because he was a prince, he could get anything he wanted. He only had to ask and it will be brought to him within a day."

"Anything?" this time it was Matty. He was the youngest so no one said anything.

"Yes."

"Even a tiger?" he asked then looked at Myka. "Because mummy always say tigers are too dangerous to be a pet."

"Of course," Helena said. "But he had to ask for an animal trainer first.

Seeing that Matty was allowed to ask questions, Patrick jumped at the opportunity. "How about a dancing clown?"

Helena chuckled. "Why not?"

"A mountain of sweets?" Beatrice asked.

Christina was glaring at them. She wasn't used to her story time being constantly interrupted.

"Especially a mountain of sweets," Helena told them.

It encouraged them to enquire about one bizarre wish after another. Even shy Sally contributed. The only two who weren't affected by all the excitement were Christina and Mary. Helena knew why Christina was unhappy but she had no idea what the problem was with Mary. The twelve year old hadn't cracked a smile since Helena met her.

"Children," Myka said sternly. It brought silence to the room again to Christina's relief.

"But there was one thing that no one could ever give him and because his father, the king didn't want him to be distracted from his duties as the future ruler of the country, no one wanted to."

"What is it?" Beatrice asked but then immediately covered her mouth and squeaked an apology.

"An adventure," Helena replied. "You see, he once asked for a friend who knew everything about the world. So they brought him a young man who spent his life as a servant for the country's army. The king was always looking for new territories to conquer. So he had his army search high and low for weak and vulnerable countries to invade."

"That's not very nice of him," Beatrice commented.

"Indeed. But because of that, the young man had seen every inch of the world. He told the boy stories about a country where everyone was blue, a rainbow coloured forest, an ocean where there was no fish but only seahorses and the most beautiful woman in the world. After a few days of listening to the stories, the boy asked to see the world. He waited patiently the whole day but no one gave it to him. In fact, the next day, the young man was replaced by a bitter old man who told stories about beautiful women who cheat, friendly men who turned out to be liars and pesky little leeches that suck your blood dry. It's a nasty world out there, boy, he said. You better stay inside. I would do just about anything to live in a palace like this."

"Did it scare him?" Patrick asked, a concerned look on his face.

"A little bit but his curiosity was stronger. Every day, he would climb the tallest tower in the castle and look towards a forest where you can find every magical creature there was."

"Even dragons?" it was Matty. The boy was awfully interested in menacing animals it seemed.

Christina nudged Myka. Myka just shook her head, looking defeated.

"Yes, even dragons, dear," Helena said, giving her daughter an apologetic look. Myka whispered something to Christina which made her smile. Helena felt something warm settling in her gut. "One day," Helena continued. "He couldn't contain his curiosity any longer so he packed some clothes, enough food to last a day and a small bottle of black sand the young man gave him and escaped to the forest. It was wonderful and exciting. He met a talking bug who was a tortured poet. He saw a baby duck hatch for the first time in his life and he found a stream that could give you any drink you wanted."

No matter how many times Christina had heard the story, the Forest of Endless Wonder had never ceased to amaze her. It also helped that Helena changed the 'wonders' the boy saw in the forest every time she told the story. When Christina was smart enough to question everything she was told, she asked Helena about it. It was a good thing that she had thought up a name for the forest by then. Her explanation hinged quite heavily on it.

"It is called the Forest of Endless Wonder," she told Christina. "What the boy saw in one day could never be explained in perhaps a decade." She had joked that Christina would have to wait another eight years to find out everything the boy saw in the forest but Christina took it seriously. Since then, she would always insist on listening to the story during story time.

Helena started telling the story to Christina when she was two. The inspiration for it came out of nowhere. As she told Myka, her stories were always true in some ways. But this story was pure fiction. She woke up one morning and it was there, sitting comfortably in her mind like a memory.

She suspected it had something to do with that time when she was in a coma for a week. She still remembered how it felt when she woke up. It was a mixture of bliss and sorrow. It was as if she had just experienced something really amazing and then it was gone so abruptly.

The story wasn't the most original concept she had ever thought of. There was a boy who was unhappy about the circumstances he was born into so he escaped to seek happiness and ended up lost in the very place he thought could bring him joy. He tried to find his way home but failed miserably. And when it got dark and cold with all his hopes as lost as he was, he wept like a little girl. That was when a shining light in the form of a human-giant hybrid appeared to him.

They couldn't be more different in all the superficial ways. That was why they fought constantly. But they were also similar in all the ways that matter. That was why no matter how annoyed they were, they never thought of leaving each other.

"Their encounter with the human-giant's giant family made the boy realise how similar they were. They both didn't belong," Helena noticed how quiet it had gotten. The children were no longer asking questions after every five sentences. "She was born an outsider. Her human family feared her and her giant family despised her. He, on the other hand, was born on a pedestal, unreachable to anyone."

Helena observed her audience. Most of them were struggling to keep their eyes open. That had been the purpose. Matty was yawning when they arrived at her house. But Patrick puffed out his chest and claimed that he was too big for a nap which made everyone else refused to take a nap as well.

"So all their lives, they dreamt of a better place where everyone was different but treated each other equally."

Her first victim fell.

"But they were both trapped in their respective cages."

Then, her second.

She started lowering her voice and adopted a soothing tone. "It wasn't a secret that it only took courage to free themselves."

Her third victim landed on Myka's lap.

"But fear can be overpowering and sometimes, you just need someone to hold your hand."

The fourth followed.

"Who better to do that than someone who understood you more than anyone else in the world?"

And the fifth.

"They promised each other an adventure of a lifetime."

Her sixth victim was a little more stubborn than the others.

"That was when they realised that they belonged," finally, her sixth victim relented and fell into deep slumber, "as long as they had each other."

Helena looked adoringly at her handiwork. She especially loved how her oldest victim was snoring lightly. She looked so relaxed as opposed to how she was when awake, always so tense. "How did you find it?" she asked the only other person who was still awake besides her.

"Nothing I haven't heard before," said Mary.

…

It had been Myka's idea for her to tell a story to the children. Christina suggested the story. And all the others agreed. Except Mary.

Mary hadn't said a word. She didn't nod or shake her head. She didn't jump up and down in anticipation or displayed any signs of displeasure at the idea. She had the same stoic look from the moment Helena greeted her and her siblings until the story ended.

So Helena was quite glad when she started criticising the story.

"It's also ridiculous," Mary added. "Why would a wealthy prince leave everything he had for a harder life? He sounds like an ungrateful brat to me. And why would a fierce creature like a human-giant want to befriend a weak, whiny boy?"

"You have a point there," Helena would agree once in a while just to get her to go on.

"And that ending."

"What about the ending?" Helena asked.

"I don't think it's the ending."

Mary was a smart girl. She was indeed correct. The ending was not a happy one. Helena had been telling Christina an unfinished story for the past four years. She couldn't bear to break her daughter's heart.

"Why do you think that?" She was curious now. Even Charles who was her harshest critic hadn't noticed how she exaggerated the attack of the giants to the point of absurdity (and it was a giant attack) just so she had a climax that would lead into a nice resolution. But in Charles' defence, he thought it was a silly story made up only for Christina. He wasn't expected to dissect everything about it like he usually did for all her other stories.

"It didn't sound like they were going to have a happily ever after," Mary explained. "The boy obviously wanted to see the world more than anything but he kept mentioning his obligation towards his people and not in resentment. Actually, he seemed like he genuinely loved his people and couldn't bear the thought of abandoning them. And then, there was the small bottle of black sand."

"What about the black sand?" Helena asked seemingly clueless to Mary's implication.

"I think it means something."

"Do you read a lot?"

"Are you trying to change the subject?" Mary asked, looking at Helena suspiciously.

"Yes," Helena laughed. "But I also genuinely want to know if you're a reader."

Mary looked around to make sure everyone was really asleep. "Can you keep a secret?" she whispered.

Helena quirked an eyebrow but nodded anyway.

Mary shook her head. "I need you to say yes."

"Yes," said Helena.

Mary inhaled deeply. "Sometimes, I borrow Mr Potter's books."

"You mean you steal them," Helena said. Mr Potter was the owner of the bookstore close to the clock shop where Elizabeth worked.

"No, I borrow them," Mary said but her cheeks were red. "I borrow one book every Tuesday and return it the next Tuesday."

"It's still stealing if you didn't ask for the owner's permission."

"I tried asking," Mary said, a glint of anger in her eyes. "He said I shouldn't waste my time reading and I should focus on making myself pretty instead."

"That ba—" Helena stopped herself. She promised no cursing in front of children. "I can definitely see how he deserved that but being a mother and an adult," she sighed. It made Mary giggle. "I'm not supposed to condone stealing. So what I'm going to do is give you an alternative."

Like Mary, Helena wasn't born in a wealthy family. She couldn't afford books so she would spend hours in a library near her childhood home for her literary needs. By a stroke of luck and a persistent brother named Charles, one of her stories was published. It wasn't long before the publisher started to demand more from her and the money started pouring in. It hardly made her rich but she had some extra money to buy books for herself. She couldn't be happier.

But one day, she woke up to find her floor flooded with books. She couldn't walk in her room without stepping on one of them. Suffice to say, it wasn't one of her good days. When she had calmed down enough, Charles told her he put away enough money to buy them a house.

At first, she yelled at Charles for hiding her own money from her and not telling her about his plans sooner because she still had that little bit of anger. But when she was done, she told him that one, Christina must like the house (even though she was only three at the time) and two, it must have a room especially for her books.

"It can't compete with a real library but—"

Mary was already inspecting each shelve with a certain twinkle in her eyes. Helena snapped her fingers trying to get the girl's attention but she was oblivious to anything other than the books.

"Well, I'll be in the living room if you need anything. Mary," Helena called when she didn't respond. "Mary," she called again. "Did you hear me?"

Mary just nodded absently.

…

When Helena told Myka about the children, 'her' children, she panicked.

"What am I going to do with five kids who are not mine?" she asked the same question over and over again using a variety of colourful words even Helena deemed quite inappropriate. "I came here to spend time with you," she had said unintentionally and also unknowingly, Helena guessed, from the way she was spewing out a hundred words per second.

Helena let her vent for a while and then held her shoulders steady. It shut her up immediately.

"We'll do it together," Helena said. "And with some help from Charles and Mrs Brown, it wouldn't be too hard."

It was quite entertaining seeing Myka so unsettled. She was young and can accept the fact that it also meant feeling foolish at times. Mistakes have their own wonders. It could shape a person or tear them down and she couldn't bear the thought of being deprived of that privilege. But being fooled twice in a day? That was unacceptable.

So when Myka lost her cool, it amused her. She struggled to keep herself from smiling as Myka listed a thousand reasons why she shouldn't be responsible for one child let alone five of them.

"How much time do you have left?" Helena asked. "Fifteen hours? Sixteen?"

Myka only nodded.

"It'll be over before you know it," Helena smiled, hoping it would ease Myka's anxiety.

But it seemed to have an opposite effect. Myka's eyes shifted downwards, avoiding her gaze. Her right hand reached the back of her neck.

"I'm not their mother," Myka said, her eyes now on the children. They were chasing some stranger's dog. "But I can't tell them that. What if I do something that scars them for life?"

Helena looked at her incredulously.

"Hey, you don't know me," Myka reminded her. It hurt for some reason.

"It's hardly fair, don't you think? You seem to know a lot about me."

"Not now, Helena," Myka said, her tone almost sounded like she was begging. She took a step back, releasing herself from Helena's hold.

Helena sighed. She decided to let it go for the moment. The dog owner kept glancing at them. He obviously no longer thought that it was cute for his dog to be chased by some random children in the park.

"Look," she said. "Parents ruin their children no matter what their intentions are. I believe I've done a number on Christina already." Myka's lips curled up slightly. "What you might do won't be any worse than what their real mother did or will do. All you or, as a matter of fact, any of us can do is try to make the time you have with them as pleasant as possible."

Of course she didn't actually believe that. It was something to be mulled over when past regrets outnumber one's age. In fact, the advice was given to her by a gentleman who was at that point in his life. The only reason she told it to Myka was because it managed to sooth her when she was six months pregnant with Christina. She hoped it had the same effect on Myka.

It seemed to work. Myka was kind and attentive to the children. She listened to them ramble on about their day patiently. She praised them when they told her they did something that was otherwise unimpressive by an adult's standards. She was as good as a fake mother can be.

It didn't come naturally. She was awkward at first. When she didn't know how to respond to them, she would mechanically pat them three times. But it wasn't long before Myka warmed up to them. And before she knew it, Myka was pleading with the children for her to tell them the story about the lost prince and the lonely giant.

She hadn't realised that she was staring at Myka until Myka stirred and stretched as she slowly awoke from her afternoon nap. Even then, Helena couldn't look away. For a second, she swore she saw a flash of green in Myka's eyes as they were set on her. It must have been her imagination as it was gone as soon as she blinked.

"Hey, you," Myka said sleepily. "C'mere."

Helena complied without a second thought.

Myka leaned her head on Helena's shoulder. "I've missed you. You don't come as often anymore."

Her heart was beating wildly again.

"Claudia said the time machine is almost ready. I'm trying to convince Artie that the telescope is important enough to warrant time travel. He's being stubborn so I set up some fake pings," Myka giggled suddenly. "I can't believe you used to call them curiosities. It's very… English."

"You know you shouldn't do that," Helena said. She thought if she responded like they were having a normal conversation, Myka would go on and she would know more.

"Call pings curiosities? Yes you shouldn't," Myka nuzzled against her neck. "It's too long."

"No, I mean set up fake—" she dreaded using the term but it was necessary, "—pings."

Helena felt something wet touch her neck.

"You were the one who taught me that it's okay to break rules sometimes. Do you remember that?" Helena didn't dare to move for fear of waking Myka from this sleepy haze. She was about to find out how Myka knew her. "It was the best day—"

Myka didn't finish her thought.

"Myka," she called.

Myka didn't answer.

She slowly turned her head. Myka was asleep again. She gently wiped the single tear that was still taking its time trickling down Myka's cheek.

Helena wondered what she did to make it fall.


	3. Chapter 3

Retrieving the telescope was easy. Getting out was the hard part. And it wasn't because of Mr Cooper's state-of-the-art security. No, it was her.

After much persuading, Myka found out how to disarm the electrocuting glass cover from Mr Cooper. But it could only be disabled for five minutes. If the telescope isn't placed back on the stand within that time, the room goes into lockdown and all the electrical hotspots in the room will be activated. They could have just taken the telescope and ran but Myka insisted that they replace the telescope with an object of similar weight. She was careful. She had a contingency plan for anything and everything that could go wrong.

It was a trait she didn't share with Helena. Helena preferred the impromptu method. It wasn't that she would go on a mission without a plan. She would just go on it with the necessary amount of planning to get her in and out and if something went wrong, she would figure it out somehow. It had always worked before.

And she had faith that it would work now. Because if it doesn't, they would be grilled to perfection by method of electrocution in about three minutes. She couldn't tell exactly as her watch was indisposed. She really should get it fixed.

"Helena, please put the brick on the stand," Myka pleaded.

Helena refused for the seventh time since she threatened Myka to tell her everything, especially the part where Myka seemed to know her too well, or the brick stays in her hand.

"If you don't want to tell me, you should just go now," she added this time. "It's not too late for you to save yourself."

In a matter of seconds, Myka had Helena's collar in her grasp and her other hand released the brick from Helena's hand. She was furious.

"Don't you ever do that again," she said, her voice harsh and threatening.

Myka had once again surprised Helena into inaction.

She released Helena and picked up the brick. She carefully placed it on the stand and set the glass covering above it, making sure all the latches were at the right place.

When she finished, Helena could hear her breathing heavily almost as if she was hyperventilating.

"Are you alright?" Helena asked.

Myka lifted her hand, stopping Helena from moving in closer. "I need a minute."

"What happened?" Helena asked when Myka's breathing finally eased.

"Nothing," Myka said nonchalantly. "Just had a flashback of the most horrible moment in my life is all." It was only then she turned to face Helena. She was looking at her with that forlorn look again. The anger had dissipated.

"You lost me before?" Helena wasn't sure if she meant it as a question or a statement. Maybe it was both.

"Too many times," Myka muttered almost inaudibly.

She collected the Cassegrain Telescope from the floor and headed for the door. Helena followed quietly.

At the door, Myka didn't open it immediately. She tapped her finger on the doorknob as if trying to decide something. Finally, she said, "I can't tell you everything. Just things that have happened for you."

"Fair enough," Helena said. "Wait, did you say things that have happened for me?"

...

They laid under the starry sky as Myka told a story about a lonely girl who fell in love with a lost boy. She mercilessly teased Helena, or more accurately her subconscious for making Myka a giant.

"A human-giant," she corrected Myka.

"How is that better?" Myka asked, laughing.

"Fine," Helena said. "Next time I'll make you the beautiful princess and I'll be the ugly ogre."

Myka propped herself up on one elbow. "Does the name Shrek mean anything to you?"

"Why?" Helena asked. "Is it important?"

Myka had that mischievous smile. The one she had when she was seducing Helena. The one she had just before she returned Helena's Tesla.

"It's classified," she said.

She didn't even have the decency to attempt a straight face. She burst out laughing.

"What?" Helena asked amusedly.

"No, I mean it," Myka said between laughs.

Helena mirrored Myka's posture. "Then why, my beautiful giant princess—" Myka laughed harder. Helena found she loved making Myka laugh even if it was at her expense. "—are you laughing?"

"Do you really want to know? We could risk changing the future. I could go back to an apocalyptic wasteland."

"And I'll be dead," Helena said, smirking. "So it doesn't concer—" Then she remembered what just happened only half an hour ago. "I'm sorry."

Myka had stopped laughing. But Helena didn't see anger. Instead she was smiling. It was that tight-lipped smile. The one she does when she was anything but happy. But she smiles anyway because she knows it's not about her. Helena wondered what it meant that she knew all of Myka's smiles.

"I weep for the future generation," she pouted, "i.e. me."

Helena did the most sensible thing she could think of. She kissed the pout away. For a second, it worked but by the end of that precious second, Myka pulled away.

She only said, "No." And added much later, breaking the long silence caused by the kiss, "Not like this."

"Why not?" Helena asked, also much later, breaking the silence caused by the rejection.

"Because I will leave. I know how it feels to be the one who gets left behind. I can't do that to you."

"It already hurts knowing I can't ever be with you even if it's just for a few hours," Helena said, bravely looking at Myka. Myka was no longer facing her. She laid flat on the ground, staring at the sky. "Even after you told me that engaging story, I can't remember a thing. But I feel things when I'm with you. A familiarity like I'm with an old friend. A passion like I'm with a long lost lover. I'd like to think it means something."

Myka was still staring silently at the sky.

"And it does according to you," Helena continued, her voice shook.

She was unsure of what she was asking of Myka and herself. On one hand, it was the stupidest thing she had ever done and it scared her greatly. On the other hand, well, there wasn't a valid reason (that was why it was a stupid idea).

"What are you trying to say, Helena?" Myka asked, her tone stoic. She still couldn't look at Helena.

"I don't mind being hurt if it's by you."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"Then tell me everything."

Myka finally turned to face Helena. "Patience, love," her fingers traced Helena's temple down to her cheek. "You're so young. So different yet still the same. You're my endless wonder," she spoke softly, almost whispering. "Just remember this, because you'll forget so many times, our time will come. I promise."

"This speaking in vague sentences," Helena said, "is not an attractive quality."

"Oh, you'll get your chance Wells," Myka said, smiling smugly.

"Are you enjoying my agony?" Helena slapped Myka's hand away.

Myka gasped. "Really?" She grabbed Helena's hand.

"What are you going to do, Bering?"

There was that mischievous smile again. Helena should have learned her lesson by now but to no avail, she fell victim to one of Myka's devious plans yet again. She was suddenly held captive underneath Myka. Myka had taken hold of her other hand and held both of her hands firmly to the ground.

"So many things," Myka said, trying her best to laugh maniacally.

But then she must have realised the position they were in because she stopped and her pale face turned red.

"May I kiss you?" Helena asked, seizing the opportunity in front of her.

Myka sighed. "Haven't you heard anything I've said?"

She started to release Helena. But Helena quickly grabbed her wrists.

"I heard everything. I also heard the part where you wished to lose your virginity to me."

"Helena, it's really not—"

"No," Helena cut her off. "It's entirely valid. Technically, you're not even born yet so your virginity is very much intact."

"What are you doing?" Myka asked calmly, the stark opposite of Helena's flustered self.

Helena looked at her intently, trying to find the slightest bit of hint that she wanted this as much as her. She could recognise the lusty desire in Myka's eyes. But was it enough?

She released Myka. "I don't have a sensible argument to your millions of reasons why we shouldn't do this now," she said to Myka. "I just know that I want you so badly, I was reduced to horrible flirting. But it was worth a try."

Myka removed herself from Helena.

"It's okay," Myka said. "It was my fault for—"

"I think it's time to go home," Helena said, quickly standing up.

Myka followed quietly. Helena purposely walked two steps ahead of Myka. And Myka let her. She realised it was childish. Normally, she would be able to let it go but this particular circumstance they were in was not normal. Therefore, for once in her life, she let herself sulk.

It was between house number five and seven in King Street when Myka uttered, "I'm sorry."

Helena suddenly found herself in a forgiving mood. The anger and hurt she felt dissipated. She held out her hand to Myka. Myka took it. Then they walked home, still in silence but it was no longer tense or awkward. It was comfortable.

...

When they reached home, they found Charles buried underneath the children. They were all sleeping soundly. They carried the younger girls to Christina's bedroom first. By the time they returned for the others, Charles was already awake.

"Don't move," Helena whispered.

She gently shook Mary. "Hey," she spoke softly. "I'm going to carry you but I need a little help, darling. Put your arms around my neck and try to hold on, alright?"

Mary groaned but she did as she was told. Myka did the same with Beatrice. Not long after, Charles followed with both Patrick and Matty. Helena told him to put them in the guest bedroom.

"Well, now that the little de—" Helena cleared her throat. "—angels," Charles said quickly, "I'm going to bed myself." He yawned. "Good night, lovely Myka and my not as lovely sister," he smirked.

Helena rolled her eyes.

"Wait, Charles," she said before he could leave. "I need to talk to you about... things. Important things."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" he asked. "I have an early," he yawned mid sentence.

"No," Helena made a quick sideway glance to Myka.

"Ah," Charles nodded. "That very important thing, of course."

"You could go clean up in my room," Helena said to Myka. "There is a bathroom in there and feel free to use anything in there. I have to talk to Charles about..." Helena tried to think of a lie.

"Something very important?" Myka added helpfully.

"Yes," Helena said, tugging on Charles' arm. "Very important. Excuse us."

"Do you need some advice on how to please a lady?" Charles asked when they were safely out of of Myka's sight and earshot in Helena's library.

Helena frowned. "No! Besides, I think I know how to do that since I am a lady myself. And we never," she emphasised, "never talk about that with each other."

"Oh, we do when you're drunk."

"That is not," Helena started to say but decided against it. "I need to know how to not act upon...feelings."

This time it was Charles' turn to look at Helena with disbelief. "You want advice on how to stop yourself from having sex?"

"We do not—"

"Talk about s—" Helena cringed. Charles rolled his eyes. "—fornicating. I know."

"That's not better," Helena said, sighing. "But I'm not going to argue about that anymore. We are talking about my problem." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I figured you should know how to reduce the intensity of certain...passion. I mean it took you months to kiss Jane on her cheek. On her cheek. I still wonder if you have done more—"

"Stop," Charles said before she could go on further. He took her hands and felt her palms. Then he felt her pulse. "How do you feel when you're with her?"

"Warm in my gut," she said. "And stupid. Always stupid."

Charles grinned. "You won't do anything. Believe me."

"How do you know that?"

His grin grew wider. "Because you're in love."

"I am," she hesitated. She wanted to deny it but it wasn't entirely false. "Maybe," she finally said.

"She's special," Charles said. "You won't want to ruin it by doing..." Helena gave him a warning look,"what you usually do."

On her way to her bedroom, Helena saw that the guest bedroom was still open. She peeked inside. Myka was lying at the left side of the bed with most of Matty on top of her. She was still awake. She placed a finger on her lips.

When Helena was close enough, she whispered, "I couldn't say no."

That one sentence explained it all. She had experienced it with Christina. There had been more than one ocassion when Christina wouldn't let Helena leave her room until she had fallen asleep. But even in her sleep she would hold on tightly to her mother's hand. In fact, the longest Helena had gone without sleeping in Christina's room was a week.

Myka patted the empty space to her left.

"What about..." Helena let the sentence hang.

Myka chuckled. "I don't think we're going to do anything with the kids in the room. Unless you're kinkier than I thought."

"Myka!" Helena exclaimed. Patrick stirred. The room became still until they heard his quiet snore again.

Helena carefully laid in Myka's already extended arm.

It stung to be this intimate with Myka. How was it that this was fine when they can't even kiss? But she let it happen because one, it could wake Matty or Patrick up if she started an argument and two, she was just grateful that Myka allowed her to be this close even after all the idiotic things she did within the last few hours.

It didn't take long for Myka to fall asleep giving her the chance to shamelessly stare at Myka. There was a song she heard before about a man who didn't want to fall asleep as he laid next to his lover. That was how she felt. For the life of her, she can't remember what the name of the song was.

She was too busy staring at Myka that she didn't realise the click when the door opened which was followed by the pitter-patter of tiny feet into the room. She only looked up when she heard a familiar squeaky voice called, "Mummy."

All the four girls were in the room.

"Can we sleep with you?" Christina asked.

"Can we, Mum?" Beatrice echoed.

Helena felt Myka move. "Of course," Myka said before Helena could protest. There wasn't really enough room for six children and two adults on the bed.

She was going to suggest sending the girls back in Christina's room and she and Myka could sleep in her room. But it was too late. There was some shoving and squeezing. And before she knew it, Helena found herself underneath several tiny body parts and Matty squeezed between her and Myka.

She was annoyed at first. Then she had this funny feeling. It was silly.

She never thought of it before, having a family, because she thought she already had one. It was always Christina, Charles and her against the world.

But lying on that cramped bed, she could imagine having a family with Myka. She still remembered the sleepless nights she had when Christina was only a baby. She didn't mind going through those sleepless nights again if it meant she would be sharing them with Myka.

A foot suddenly landed on her face.

Nights like this however, will not happen very often. She will make sure of it. She could already picture the arguments they will have night after night. Myka will be easily persuaded by the children as she was less experienced but Helena who had gone through all the adorable pleading and heartbreaking tears will be harder to manipulate through those methods. She knew there will be nights when Myka and the children will win. That was fine too.

Then there was a sudden blow to her stomach. It didn't really hurt but it made her wonder if she was going to get any sleep at all.

She did fall asleep eventually. And for the first time in her life, Helena Wells dreamt of bridesmaids and wedding bells. Charles in his brand new suit walking her down the aisle. Christina in a dress that rivalled hers walking right behind her. The person waiting for her at the other end, a curly haired beauty with dark green eyes, smiling that smile that never failed to turn her thoughts into gibberish. And finally, the utterance of vows which can only be broken by death.

Of course she couldn't have known this but that night, Helena slept with a hilariously dreamy smile which in the morning became the cause of a ridiculously long giggling fit which involved one adult and six children.


	4. Chapter 4

Helena met Myka Bering when she was twenty three years old. At the time, she had a six year old daughter, an idiot brother and an apprenticeship at Warehouse 12.

If someone asked her then if she was happy, she would say, "No one is ever happy. They either live in contentment which isn't a bad way to live but you tend to miss certain things or they live hungrily and hungry people are rarely happy."

She thought she knew it all. Why wouldn't she? She had already made the biggest mistake in her life who turned out to be the most beautiful gift she had ever gotten. She had a reason to hate the world and yet she didn't. And at twenty three, people were already lining up to listen to her even though they were too small minded to accept that she was a woman.

But the answer she should have given was, "Yes, I am happy."

She had a sweet little girl who thought the world of her. She had a partner in crime whose sensible thinking often made her wonder if they were really related but also kept her grounded. And she had a job that was dangerous but fun, always fun and only annoying sometimes (when she had to do inventory).

She didn't know what happiness meant until it was taken away from her. Several times.

The first time it happened, she didn't even notice it.

Myka had told her to go to the Warehouse that morning to return the telescope. She was very specific about it. Helena must place it between the Venetian Eyeglass and the Lippershey Spyglass in the visual instrument section.

When Helena refused, Myka said, "You're in enough trouble as it is. It could affect your apprenticeship."

And of course Helena didn't want that. There were only three months left in her apprenticeship. She was quite excited about it, becoming a full-fledged agent.

"Come with me," Helena had said because they had so little time and she wanted to spend every minute of it together. "I can sneak you in without anyone knowing."

"No," Myka said immediately.

She had that same angry look she gave Mrs Douglas when the headmistress called Helena a bad parent. Only this one was more intense, more…hateful.

"I have to clean up the mess in the clock shop anyway," she smiled, trying to hide her hostility towards the Warehouse. But it didn't fool Helena because Helena knew all her smiles for reasons she was told but not quite believe. "I want to make Elizabeth's return as pleasant as possible."

Now that she thought about it, she ought to be more persistent with Myka for her young self's sake. Because the emotional turmoil she felt after caused a careless mistake which extended her apprenticeship for another two months. But her stupid young self can't seem to let go of her distrust towards Myka.

Now, well, now Myka was standing in front of her. It took all her strength (and the threat of death) not to charge forward and embrace the woman whose image had been haunting her for the past hundred or so years.

The one clever thing her younger self did was to dip the telescope in the neutralising liquid before putting it on the shelf.

There was no cackle. No pop. No spark.

She did it again just to be sure.

And when she did it the third time, she already knew what would happen.

MacShane yelled some threat she couldn't care to listen as she exited the Warehouse.

A million thoughts ran through her mind. How could she? Could she? Maybe she had her own reasons. No, she lied. She's a liar, Helena.

She tried her best to dodge the crowd and when she couldn't, she shoved them while yelling an apology. She won't stop. She can't stop.

She burst through the door, not caring that she stubbed her toe against the doorframe and almost fell. She wanted to yell all sorts of accusations but between the pain and the panting, she couldn't get a word out.

Myka wasn't too surprised to see her. "That didn't take too long," she said.

"Why?" Helena asked when the panting had slowed down enough to allow her voice to come out.

"I didn't want to find you because I knew that I had to leave. But I did and I'm sorry," said Myka, leading Helena to a chair. "It definitely made my job easier to have you. And apparently I was supposed to find you."

After she helped Helena to settle on a chair, she walked back to the counter and grabbed a piece of paper.

"Dear Helena," she read. "The person who is currently reading this to you is the love of your life. You've known it since you were eighteen. You don't quite believe it yet because that's how we are, we only trust what we see even though we claim to have a boundless imagination. You're still trying to find that apple-scented perfume in the Warehouse, aren't you? Well, you won't find it. Don't be angry with Myka. She's only following the instructions she gave to herself. And as we expected, she didn't follow it very well." Myka rolled her eyes. "She thinks it will spare our feelings. Myka, don't worry. You just pinched me for that comment. Now Helena, she doesn't know about the telescope. Another reason you shouldn't be mad at her." Myka frowned.

"It wasn't an artifact," said Helena before Myka could ask.

"We sent her to you because we knew how much she missed you," Myka continued reading. "Me. Us? I'm still trying to make sense of everything. So it is quite understandable that you are very confused by this. I chose you because I wanted her to get to know the person I was before everything happened." Myka cringed. "To see that I wasn't always so…tortured. That I used to be happy. I'm happy now but the kind of happy you are is different from mine. It's a break from all the things she's been through with me.

Myka paused. Her eyes flitted back and forth on the paper.

She looked up at Helena. "There are some blanks," she said. Then she returned back to the letter, "Well, I did try. There is only so much that the universe can allow. Something very horrible will happen to you. It still gives me nightmares. Unfortunately, there is absolutely nothing I can say to ease the kind of hatred you are about to feel. But the woman standing in front of you right now," the corner of Myka's lips quirked up slightly. She let out an exhale that resembled a very soft laugh. "You read the rest yourself. That first sentence made me feel awkward enough," she was blushing.

Helena took the letter from Myka. Sure enough, it was her handwriting on the piece of paper. She didn't read the rest immediately.

"How?" she asked.

"Do you know what the Venetian eyeglasses can do?"

"It started out as a handy pair of reading glasses. The man who owned it was in love with his neighbour but he was too shy to tell her. He kept thinking, if only he could see into her soul, then maybe it wouldn't be so hard. The years of yearning transferred itself into the eyeglasses. But instead of letting him see into her soul, they let him see her insides."

"That property allowed the glasses to scan an item like an X-ray machine without the dangerous radiation. One day, Pete, being Pete was playing with the eyeglasses while we were doing inventory. When I was placing them back on the shelf, it was at an angle that directed it towards the telescope. And I saw that there was something in it. So, the next day, I went back to the shelf and took out whatever was in it. It was a blank piece of paper. For some reason I put it in my pocket and forgot about it until, umm, the day you left. The first thing I did after, was laundry because do you know how smoke seeps into your clothes and it's very hard to get the smell out?" Myka paused. Helena assumed the question was rhetorical. She then cleared her throat. "So I was emptying out my pockets and, surprise!" she exclaimed. "There's a paper with my handwriting on it telling me to go back to 1889 and find the Cassegrain Telescope and…" she trailed off. "You know the rest. But it turns out it's not even an artifact and I thought, I thought that it would bring you back to me. Now I know, it's all for nothing."

Helena had so many questions. Like what is this terrible thing that is going to happen to her? It terrified her to be honest and not because her alleged future self just told her it was going to happen. She still needed to process that. It was because of the way Myka treated Christina.

She was so protective of her. Christina fell when they were in the park the day before and the way Myka reacted was like she had gotten more than a skinned knee from her fall. Myka insisted on carrying her all the way to their house but eventually, Helena managed to convince her that Christina was quite capable of walking with some assistance.

Helena had given up on the questions. If Myka wanted to tell her, she would have done so sooner. Not now when she was about to leave. So Helena concentrated on the puzzle before them.

Helena looked at the paper in her hand. "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"From the telescope. I mean, the one in this time."

"Maybe the telescope isn't the artifact you are supposed to find."

Helena could see the wheels turning in Myka's head.

"It's the paper," Myka said excitedly. "But do you really think that we, from the future, would send me here just so that we could spend time together? Not that it wasn't great. But really? I'd like to think we don't just do things based on emotions, even if it's in the future."

"The blank lines in the letter and the line after. Maybe they can't tell us."

Myka snapped her fingers. "That's why you can't remember. It's the universe's way of maintaining its balance."

"Even so, I still have those dreams. And how did you know that I was coming back here earlier than the time we agreed on?" Helena asked.

"Future me told me that I should go to the Warehouse with you and spend the remaining hours we have together there."

"But you didn't want to."

"And every time I do differently than her instructions, the outcome is still somewhat similar. We're not in the Warehouse but we're together."

"So not every event is fixed. We can say, deviate it a little."

Helena loved this feeling. She gets it every time she is trying to solve a puzzle. She never thought having a partner would make it more fun. Or maybe it was Myka.

"But what do we do with that piece of information?" Myka asked.

Helena read the last lines in the letter. "This person seems to put a lot faith in you. I think it's up to you now."

Myka smiled. Helena hadn't realised that they were standing quite close to each other until then.

"Who is being vague now?"

Helena knew this smile very well. She didn't want to get her hopes up because it always ended in her being disappointed.

But she had a feeling…

After MacPherson debronzed her, it took a while to recover all her memories. Some were already present but still a bit fuzzy. They were her last thoughts, she figured, before they flipped the switch that took her freedom and imprisoned her in her own body.

Maybe this is how death feels like, she thought moments before she was bronzed because there were flashbacks of her memories. Mostly events that brought her to where she was. Played backwards in her mind.

Starting with Mary's death.

Even after Myka left, the Scott siblings still visited her and Christina almost every day.

Elizabeth thought she lost her mind within those 22 hours and 19 minutes when Myka inhabited her body. She was very grateful to Helena for taking care of her during her mental episode and also for not telling anyone about it. So she let her children frequent Helena's home.

At some point, their families became close and when… that terrible thing happened, the Scotts became unbearable to Helena. They sent enough food for ten every single day and every time they came, they would stay for hours when all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and pretend to try to fall asleep.

So Helena chased them away one day.

She went to apologise a few days later with flowers and Mrs Brown's apple pie. Elizabeth immediately welcomed her into their home and invited her to stay for dinner. All the children except Mary hugged her. Between the greetings, the hugs and the endless questions from Patrick about hot air balloons, she didn't even get the chance to say her apology.

She still couldn't stand them but during those quiet few days, she found that it hurt more when they weren't around. So she stayed.

It was the day she laughed for the first time in three months. It was a joke Mary made about scaring her siblings and Christina with her version of Snow White. The Evil Queen won in her version.

Mary was a smart girl. That was why Helena recommended her for an apprenticeship at the Warehouse when she turned eighteen.

She was the one who helped build the Temporal Consciousness Transfer Engine which she said was a stupid name.

"If you think about the acronym," she had said, "it almost spells like tacit. Call it what it is; it's a time machine."

That was the last time her joke made Helena laugh.

Helena became obsessed with saving Christina. She kept going back and every time she failed, she became more and more miserable.

Until one day she couldn't stand the rage any longer, she shot one of the robbers.

He turned out to be Mary.

The girl was too smart for her own good. No one should be able to access the machine once it started. But she did. She followed Helena 20 hours and 34 minutes after Helena left according to the logs.

Unfortunately, her tweaking didn't allow her to be too picky about the body she chose.

"I'm mad, really mad at you," she said to Helena in her last moments. "But there's nothing we can do about it, can we?"

"No—" Helena tried to say.

"I need," she grabbed Helena's hand, "you to tell Mum that I'm not angry with her. Just give Patrick a chance."

Helena begged for her to hold on just for a few seconds, enough time for Helena to return to her present body and bring her back.

But she kept talking like it was too late. "I can be mad because I was just shot. But you need to stop being so angry, alright?"

"Just stay alive and I'll do whatever y—"

The machine brought Helena back. But she was too late. Mary was gone.

She was supposed to feel cold due to the freezing process but all she felt was burning rage as images of Christina's death played in her mind like a bloody moving picture. She tried to hold on to Mary's last words. But it only made her more furious.

Wolcott said it was supposed to be quick and painless. But all she felt was pain and it wouldn't stop. Helena can't blame him. He had never been bronzed before so he wouldn't know for sure.

Then she remembered the kiss.

She had a feeling she wasn't going to be disappointed this time but she didn't put much weight into it as she had the same feeling the previous two times when they almost kissed.

She refused to believe it even as Myka inched closer to her. Even as she closed her eyes and puckered up when those pair of lips she craved for were merely milimetres away from hers.

It was delightful. Mind-blowing. There were sparks and fireworks. Her stomach flipped. There were flowers blooming. A comforting warmth embraced her. It felt like they were the only two who existed in the world. And all those rubbish described in romance novels.

The kissing though, she could tell it wasn't their first time. She wanted to make it simple but sweet because she didn't know what Myka liked. But apparently, she knew. The way her lips and her tongue moved, it was like she didn't even have to think about it. And Myka definitely knew what she liked.

She forgot about breathing. It was only when Myka gently pushed her away that she thought of inhaling some air. It was quite possible that the light-headedness she felt was due to the lack of oxygen in her brain.

"It's time," Myka said, her eyes tearing up. "I didn't really want to say goodbye because we've said goodbye too many times."

"I only hope that this is one of the good ones."

Their foreheads touched. "It is."

Then Myka collapsed in her arms.

When she woke up a few minutes later, she was Elizabeth.

Those were the memories which were prominently featured in the Helena Wells' Mind Theatre for the past hundred or so years. She hadn't counted. There were a lot of other more important things occupying her at the moment. The number one being how can she weasel her way out of two armed Warehouse agents? One of them was Myka. But she thought it best to leave it for another day.

Time doesn't have meaning when you are bronzed. You relive past memories over and over again. And unfortunately, you can't pick and choose which memory you will relive. So it went from Mary's death to Christina's and then the kiss between her and Myka.

The kiss became a resting point from all the pain and anger and hate. It made it easy to remember how Myka looked like.

And when she saw Myka outside her home, she almost couldn't believe her eyes.

She ran down the stairs, almost tripping on one of the steps, to greet her.

All grown up Myka. Still tall. But no longer awkward. She had a certain confidence in her stride that was missing the first time Helena saw her. The Myka who wasn't just Myka inside but also Myka outside. All of Myka. Her Myka.

She didn't quite believe in the existence of a god but she was very tempted to use his or her name right about now. Because god, she looked more beautiful than Helena remembered.

But then she reminded herself that Myka was a Warehouse agent. And she was just debronzed by a questionable character. Adding to that, no one nice had been bronzed before. They have all committed some heinous crime. Hence, Myka will not trust her. She will act hostile towards her and will possibly try to bronze her.

It would take some convincing on Helena's part. In the meantime, she needed to retrieve the Imperceptor Vest.

She would have done so quietly if it wasn't for Myka's buffoon of a partner. He had to startle everyone by confronting the impersonator which left her with no choice but to trick them in order to get to her vest.

It didn't change anything, seeing Myka again. Christina was still dead. She still killed Mary. And she brutally murdered those robbers. She didn't deserve this second chance.

But it did give her something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

_The end. For now._

**Thank you for reading.**


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